Improvement in apparatus for lubricating railways



4hi3. B. USULLIVAN & P. MURPHY. Apparatus fdr Lubricating Railways.

No. 166,548. PateniedAug.1o,ia75.

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CORNELIUS B. OSULLIVAN AND PATRICK MURPHY, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING RAILWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,548, dated August10, 1875; application filed February 20', 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CORNELIUS B. OSUL- LrvAN and PATRICK MURPHY,residents of the city of New Orleans and State of Louisiana, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus forLubricating Railway-Curves; and we do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference being hadto the annexed drawing, making a part of this specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and eicientapparatus for lubricating curves in railroad-tracks, in order that thecars may glide more smoothly around the same. It consists of two valves,by means of which wateris drawn from a reservoir and discharged throughsuitable pipes upon the' railway-curves in any desired quantity.

Our invention will readily be understood by referring to the drawing, onwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ear as when provided with ourimproved apparatus7 while Fig. Zrepresents a section of one of thevalves.

On the drawing, A represents a tank or reservoir for containing thewater with which it is desired to lubricate the rails. The saidreservoir is secured to the front platform of the car, and, whilefulfilling the purpose for which it is designed, also subserves as aseat for the driver of the car. a is a pipe leading from the bottom ofthe reservoir to the valves B and C, both of which are secured beneaththe platform of the car in such a manner that their stems b and c maypass up through the door of the same. rIhe said valves are operatedindependently of one another, and each is provided with its owndischarge-pipe, as shown at d and e, through which the water is conveyedand discharged upon the rail immediately in front of the forward wheelsof lthe car. The construction of our valves, as well as the manner ofoperating the same, Will be at once understood by an examination of thesectional view shown at Fig. 2. f is the valve proper, which is heldclosely against its seat g by means of a spiral spring, It. The face ofthe valve or seat should be of rubber, leather, or other equivalentmaterial, in order that the jolting of the car may not in anyV mannerinjure the same. 'i is the supply and k the discharge openings. It willbe observed that the supply is admitted below the valve f. This is donein order to relieve the spiral spring h of the weight of the valve, aswell as to hold the latter more closely against its seat.

In operating our invention it is only necessary that the driver shouldwith his foot depress the valve of the pipe leading to the track orcurve which it is desired to lubricate.

We are aware that, in connection with tanks, a horizontal pipe havingnumerous perforations, and connected with the tank by a suitablesupply-pipe, has been used, so as to distribute a tine spray of waterover the entire width of the track. Such an arrangement we do not claim.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the reservoir A, supplypipe a, valves B and G, anddischarge-pipes d and e, as and for the purpose set forth.

C. B. OSULLIVAN. P. MURPHY. Witnesses:

H. N. JENKINS, J. C. HUBBELL.

